That's What You Get
by IamJules
Summary: .2nd summary change. Why was it that when she had everything she had ever wanted, she was risking it to find out the secret to the person she couldn't help but want. Ryella and Troyella.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING FROM HSM. Just so you all know. And you do. Hopefully…

It had started out like and any other day. I woke up, got ready for school, had breakfast with my mom, and met Troy Bolton outside of school. Troy and I had been dating for almost two months now. We had met at a ski lodge during winter break and when I transferred to my new school it ended up being the same school he went to. We got the roles in the musical together and since then everything has been perfect. We walked to our first class together and sat down side by side. We got to work doing our assignments and chatted. Half way through class our teacher Ms. Lieson stopped us all.

"By the way will anyone be seeing Ryan or Sharpay Evans today? As you may have seen they are both absent and someone will need to bring them their work." She said. I looked around the class and noticed that Ryan and Sharpay weren't here.

"Hey, don't you pass their house on your way home?" Troy whispered to me. I tried to shush him but it was too late. Ms.Lieson had heard.

"Well if that's true, Miss Montez, will you be able to bring them their work?" I sighed and nodded. If it had been anyone else I wouldn't have minded but ever since I came to East High I knew the twins didn't like me. Sharpay would give me dirty looks in the halls and Ryan would… Well he wouldn't really do anything. He didn't seem so bad. The only problem with him is that to everyone at East High it's socially unacceptable to talk to him. Not that it has ever been comfirmed but everyone at school is pretty sure that Ryan Evans is gay. He comes to school everyday in flamboyant and put-together outfits and the way he acts is well… Just gay. I didn't have a problem with it but Troy and the rest of the popular crowd sure did.

"Hah you have to take the fag his homework." Chad Danforth, Troy's best friend, laughed from behind me. I tried to laugh it off. The rest of the school day went by normally. After school I said goodbye to Troy and my friends and headed to the Evans' house. It was only three blocks away from mine so I'd be home in no time. I stopped outside the large house. Okay… Large house was a bit of an understatement. The place was huge. It was a freakin mansion. I timidly walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell and a few seconds later someone opened the door. I had expected a butler or maid to open the door but when I looked up I was face to face with Ryan Evans… But this Ryan was different.

"Gabriella." He smirked. "What a surprise."

Oh yeah… What a surprise. WHO WAS THIS PERSON. This could not be the same Ryan that everyone knew and… Well not 'loved' but… okay that everyone knew. This Ryan was wearing dark jeans and had on a tight black t-shirt. His hair wasn't gelled like it usually was and he was casually leaning against the doorframe looking well… confidant. Weird.

"Um hi, Ryan." I said nervously. "I uh brought yours and Sharpay's homework." I said fumbling with the notes. Suddenly he left. I stood there dumbfounded. He had actually just walked right back into his house leaving the door wide opened and I still had his stuff. Was I supposed to go in?

"Are you coming in or not?" I heard his voice call from inside. I placed a foot inside the door and then continued inside. The place looked even bigger from inside. "I'm in here" I followed his voice to the kitchen. The kitchen was like the size of my kitchen and living room combined. God, they were rich. "You can put that on the counter." He stated looking in the fridge. "Would you like something to drink, Gabriella?" He asked. For a second I forgot he was talking to me and I didn't say anything until I saw his face looking at my like I was mentally challenged.

"Uh… Water's fine I guess." I said shuffling and looking down at my feet. I could hear him laugh as he got me some water. When I looked up I was only inches away from Ryan. I could feel his breath on me. It was a bit unnerving. He handed me my water.

"Are you nervous?" He whispered slyly.

"W-What?" I stammered taking a step back. He turned around and sat down on a stool.

"Water is the nervous person's drink of choice." He said as he looked over the work I had left for him. I stood still just looking at him. He was so different now. Was he always like this at home?

"I should um probably go…" I stated nervously. He didn't say anything at all so I went on, "So, I guess I'll see you later?" He was still not looking at me so I backed up slowly and made my way back to the front door. I was almost outside when I felt someone grab my arm and turn me around. I felt Ryan's warm breath whisper in my ear.

"You don't have to leave." He said. I felt a shiver work it's way through me. I wanted to turn around and run out of the house but for some reason I couldn't move. He slowly backed me up to a wall and held my arms down. He looked straight into my eyes. Even though I was frightened by this, I couldn't help but feel attracted to Ryan at this moment. Wait no what was I thinking?! I have Troy. But as I was trying to think of Troy all I could see was Ryan's eyes gazing into mine. At that moment I knew that he was no longer Sharpay's twin. He was Ryan and he was in charge.

"Who are you?" I whispered. He could tell I was scared but all he did was smirk.

"I'm Ryan." He said. "The real Ryan. Not the stupid, shy little gay boy that follows his sister around like a lap dog. This is who I am" He whispered back harshly. He pressed his body closer into mine. I heard a moan escape my lips. Why was it that when I had an amazing boyfriend, all I could think about was kissing Ryan? I quickly pressed my lips against Ryan's and he captured them. He pressed me even more into the wall as we kissed. Suddenly he broke away. He backed up and laughed. "You should probably leave." He smirked. I was shocked and hurt. I nodded and walked outside. I turned around and saw Ryan smirking through the doorway. "See you tomorrow" He said and closed the door. I made my way to my car and sped home. As soon as I got in I ran to my room and flopped down on my bed.

"Oh my god." I whispered to myself. What the hell had happened to me?


	2. A new project

_What the hell had happened to me?_

I wondered it all night. I thought about what had happened this after afternoon with Ryan for hours. During dinner my mother asked me if something was wrong but of course I said no. Even when Troy called me and I pretended to act normal he asked me what was wrong. As much as I hated to lie to him I kept denying that anything was wrong.

I went to bed nervous for the day to come. How was I going to react when I saw Ryan. Would people be able to tell something had happened? Will I be THAT obvious? I eventually fell asleep.

_

* * *

__I quickly pressed my lips against Ryan's and he captured them. He pressed me even more into the wall as we kissed. Suddenly he broke away. He backed up and laughed. "You should probably leave." He smirked. I was shocked and hurt. I nodded and walked outside. I turned around and saw Ryan smirking through the doorway. "See you tomorrow" He said and closed the door._

I woke up breathing quickly. Had I really just had a dream about yesterday? I shuddered and shook off the thought. I got ready for school and left home. When I got to school I didn't get out of the car. I tried to reassure myself that the day would be fine and that maybe Ryan wouldn't be there again but in the back of my mind I knew I was wrong. I got out of the car and I suddenly felt someone grab hold of me. I gasped and jumped back. Troy was standing in front of me laughing.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you." He laughed. I relaxed a bit but for some reason I couldn't help but feel sad that it wasn't Ryan. "How's it going, Gabs?" He asked putting his arm around me as we made our way into the school.

"Okay" I said smiling at him. He seemed to buy my fake happiness. We walked to English together. We sat down and as soon as we did so I saw Ryan and Sharpay walk into class. For some reason I expected Ryan to look how he did yesterday but he didn't. He was dressed like the normal Ryan. The Ryan that we see everyday. He wore a white, red, and orange stiped dress shirt and brown pants. Of course his outfit was topped off with a hat and he matched perfectly with Sharpay's outfit. I couldn't help but stare at him. I felt Troy put his hand on mine.

"What are you looking at?" He asked. I flushed and lowered my gaze to my desk.

"Nothing, Troy. I just zoned out." I smiled sweetly. He gave me a peck on the cheek.

"Mr.Bolton, Miss Montez, now is not the time for that." Our English teacher shouted. We both nodded and turned away embarrassed. I looked up and I saw Ryan looking at me. He smiled shyly and turned back to Sharpay. That was weird.

"So class, today we will be starting new projects which will be done in pairs," the teacher said. There were voices of excitement and Troy looked over at me and smiled, "But unfortunately for you I have picked the pairs," everyone groaned. I started to get nervous. What if I was paired with Ryan? "In pairs you will be doing a presentation on Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'." Even more groans. "I will now be calling out the pairs." I sat and waited patiently for my name. "Taylor and Sharpay, Troy and Kelsi, Chad and Jason," This was not good, "Martha and Zeke, and finally Ryan and Gabriella." I can't believe it. How will I be able to work with Ryan? I looked up nervously and saw Ryan heading my way.

"Good luck with the gay boy," Chad laughed. I shot him a glare and turned my attention back to Ryan. He sat in the seat beside me and pulled the desk closer to mine. I'm pretty sure he had heard what Chad said.

"Hi" He said still looking at his desk. I swallowed hard.

"Hey Ryan" I said quietly. "So… Should we get started?" I asked. He nodded.

"What are we gonna do for it?" He asked timidly. Why was he acting like this? Like nothing had happened? He was completely back to his normal self.

"I don't know. Let's brainstorm some ideas." We spent the rest of the class coming up with ideas. I was nervous as hell but whenever I looked at Ryan he seemed completely fine. Maybe… Maybe he didn't remember? Or maybe he had like an evil triplet that was pretending to be him yesterday. Soon the bell rang and class was over.

"Erm so do you want to meet this weekend to work on the presentation?" Ryan asked me. I dropped my books. Would we be alone? I don't know if I could handle that but I nodded a sure. "Okay um are you busy on Sunday?" He asked me and I shook my head. "Okay so do you want to come over to my place around noon?" I looked into his face and suddenly it changed. I wasn't looking into the face of the shy Ryan Evans. This was the 'real' Ryan. I took a step back.

"Okay" I said. He grinned and walked away. I stood still at my desk for a few moments I made my way out of the class and saw him down the hall. Suddenly he turned around and winked at me and then continued to walk away following his sister. Had anyone seen that? I looked around and everyone was doing their own thing not paying attention to me.

"Hey Gabs, come on! We're going to be late" I heard my best friend Taylor shout. I quickly ran to catch up to her. But all I could think about for the rest of the day was Sunday afternoon with Ryan Evans.


	3. Love and IM

I didn't see Ryan for the rest of the day. It was probably a good thing because everyone knew something was up with me but I wouldn't admit to anything. If he had been around I don't think I would have been able to keep up the façade. Friday night me, Troy and our friends went to the movies. It kept my mind off of Sunday. On Saturday Troy invited me to spend the day with him and I gladly accepted. We went to the park first, got some ice cream, then went and sat underneath a tree.

"It's such a nice day today," Troy said. I nodded and snuggled up closer to him. How could I ever think being with anyone but Troy would be better than this? I smiled as he wrapped his arms around me. "Gabs, there's something I want to tell you," He said quietly. I stiffened.

"What is it?" I asked nervously. I tried to sound naïve. He looked down at me and held me closer.

"I love you, Gabriella." I stopped breathing. I stopped everything. I was frozen. Did he just say what I think he said?

"You… What?"

"I love you." He said again. I looked straight into his eyes and I knew this was no lie. Do I love him back? I don't know… It's only been a couple months. But these months have been the best two months of my life. No one has ever cared about me as much as Troy has. "I'm sorry… This is probably too soon-" He started but I cut him off.

"No! Troy… I love you too." I said. He sighed in relief. We smiled at each other and continued to sit and eat our ice cream in comfortable silence.

After the park we went and got some food at a nearby restaurant. We talked and laughed and for a while I completely forgot about Ryan and Sunday afternoon. Nothing could ruin this moment with Troy. We loved each other and nothing could come between us… I hoped. After lunch we walked around town for a bit and when it was starting to get dark he took me home. We drove up to my house and he stopped.

"Thank you for the wonderful day, Troy. I had a lot of fun," I said grabbing his hand. He smiled.

"Well, thanks for coming. I had fun too." He said and he kissed me lightly on the lips. I smiled into the kiss. "Goodnight Gabriella. I love you."

"I love you too." I said and got out of the car. I watched him drive away and I floated into my house on a dream.

"How was your day?" My mom said as she came out of the kitchen. I smiled at her.

"It was perfect." I said and I headed towards my room.

"Dinner's in half an hour!" My mom yelled from downstairs.

"Okay, mom!" I shouted back. I put my purse on my bed and then sat down at my computer and signed on instant messenger. When I signed only a few of my friends were on including Taylor and my friend Kelsi. Kelsi started talking to me.

**Kelsiiii:****Hey Gabbbbbs!**

**Gabriella's breaking free:****Hi Kels. How's it going?**

**Kelsiiii:****Meh, pretty good, U?**

**Gabriella's breaking free:****Pretty good myself :)**

**Kelsiiii:****So how was your day with Troy??**

I couldn't help but smile at that.

**Gabriella's breaking free:****It was… Good.**

**Kelsiiii:****Just good?**

**Gabriella's breaking free:****Okay it was perfect! He told me he loved me!**

**Kelsiiii:****OMG. What did you say back!?**

**Gabriella's breaking free:****I told him I loved him back.**

**Kelsiiii:****AWWWWWWWWWW.**

Suddenly I got a pop up. Someone had added my IM. I didn't recognize the email but I accepted. I opened a convo with the person.

**Gabriella's breaking free:****Hey. Who's this?**

For a few seconds the person didn't respond.

**r.E:****It's Ryan**

I couldn't breathe. It was Ryan. Oh no. I had completely forgot about him! What should I say?

**Gabriella's breaking free:****Oh hey Ryan. How'd you get my IM?**

**r.E:****Kelsi gave it to me. Anyway are we still on for tomorrow?**

I was going to murder Kelsi.

**Gabriella's breaking free:****Yeah of course**

**r.E:****Awesome. Gtg. See you tomorrow at noon!**

And he signed off. That had definitely been the normal Ryan. It scared me how he could change like that. Maybe he had double personalities or something.

**Gabriella's breaking free:****You gave ryan my IM?**

**Kelsiiii:****Oh yeah… should I not have?**

**Gabriella's breaking free:****No no it's ok. I have to go. Love ya!**

I signed off and went downstairs to eat dinner. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.


	4. Terrified and in awe

I sat in my car thinking. I have been parked outside Ryan's house for almost 10 minutes. It was now 12:14 pm. I keep telling myself to go in. What's the worst that could happen? I slowly collect my belongings and get out of my car. I walk slowly up the front of the house. Each step I took I got more and more nervous. I got to the front door and as I was about to ring the doorbell the door opened revealing a very agitated looking Sharpay.

"I saw you sitting in your car for like ever." She said. I didn't know what to say. "Well come on. Ryan's waiting for you upstairs."

"Upstairs?" I asked. Why upstairs? Sharpay looked at me like I was stupid.

"Yeah in the study." She led me up the stairs to the second floor. She took me to a room that had two large doors. We walked in and I was amazed. The room was full of bookcases and there was a giant table in the middle of the room. Ryan was sitting at that table. He noticed us come in and he waved. "Okay have fun" Sharpay she said sarcastically and left slamming the doors behind her. I stood at the front of the room awkwardly.

"You can come sit down." Ryan said kindly. He was wearing a light blue polo, a brown hat, and had on brown plaid shorts. This seemed okay. I walked over to the table and sat down beside Ryan. "So let's get started." He said clapping his hands together. As we worked I grew more and more comfortable with Ryan. He was kind, funny, and sweet. I was having trouble figuring out who he was trying to be though. How many Ryan's were there? After a couple hours we were sitting in silence and he started singing a familiar tune quietly to himself.

_It's hard to believe That I couldn't see_

_You were always there beside me_

I looked at him curiously. I don't even think he knew he was singing.

_Thought I was alone_

_With no one to hold_

_But you were always right beside me_

His voice was so clear and perfect. As much as it killed me to say this, Ryan was a better singer than Troy and he should have gotten the lead in the musical. Without knowing it I cleared my throat and Ryan looked up and stopped singing. He flushed when he realized he had been singing.

"Sorry," He laughed nervously. I smiled.

"No, it's fine. You have a really nice voice." I could see his face go red, which made my face go red. This was the Ryan I liked. I felt so comfortable around him. I was scared that he would go away. I prayed that he wouldn't.

"Thanks, you have a really nice voice too. I'm glad you got the role in the musical" he said and grinned. I had never been happier to hang around with Ryan. I took out a bottle of water from my bag and as I opened it because I'm such a klutz I spilt some of it on my self.

"Ah!" I laughed as I attempted to wipe some of the water off. I looked over at Ryan and he was trying not to laugh. "Haha um where's your washroom?" I asked him.

"Last door on the right down the hall." He laughed. I quickly got up and rushed out of the room. I walked to the end of the hall and opened the door on the right. I couldn't see anything so I searched the wall for a light switch. I found one and flicked it on. I looked around the room. This was not the washroom. This was a bedroom and from the looks of the music posters on the walls and the wall of hats this must be Ryan's room. I glanced around nervously.

"Oops… I meant last door on the left." I heard Ryan's voice from behind me. Part of me was terrified and part of me was in awe. It still amazed me how quickly he could change. I slowly turned around to face him. He had taken off his hat and was leaning against the doorframe. He started to move closer to me. I backed up until I was right in the middle of his room. "Do you like it?" He asked.

"Um yeah I- I guess" I choked out. He smiled. I was starting to love it when he smiled no matter what the situation. Suddenly he grabbed my waist and brought me closer to him. This was going to be a repeat of the other day. "Ryan let go." I said as calmly as I could.

"You don't want me to." He stated. He was right. In his arms is exactly where I wanted to be but at that moment, Troy's face popped into my mind.

"Ryan I have a boyfriend," I said trying to pull away from his grasp but he wouldn't budge. I was getting more scared. Ryan could see it in my eyes. He let go of my waist and walked to his bed and sat down. I was so confused. What was with him? "Ryan?"

"Just get out." He said quietly. What the hell?

"Why do you keep doing this, Ryan?!" I shouted at him hoping no one would hear me. He seemed to know what I was thinking.

"No one's home. Don't worry they won't hear you." He put his head in his hands. I sighed and walked over to the bed and sat beside him. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm doing. I just… I change sometimes and I can't help it." He said sadly. I was more than confused now.

"It's okay, Ryan. You didn't hurt me or anything." I tried to assure him it would be okay. "And… You were right… I do want to be here." He looked up at me and smiled. There was that smile again. "But… I you know I'm with Troy." And all of a sudden he jumped off the bed and walked angrily to the other side of the room.

"Troy BOLTON." He snarled. "Mr.Perfect at everything. He gets the friends, the grades, the sports, the popularity, MY musical, and now the girl." I could feel tears forming in my eyes but I wasn't sure if it was because I felt sorry for Ryan or if it was because I was frightened of him. Suddenly he stopped and slammed the wall with his fist. He turned towards me and I could see the fear on his own face. "SEE, Gabriella! I don't know where that came from. I just… I just get angry and cocky and I hate myself for it." He fell to the floor and started crying. I slowly made my way towards him. I placed my hand on his cheek. It was cool and smooth.

"Don't worry, Ryan. We'll work this out, okay?" I said softly. He gazed into my eyes and slowly he bent his head towards mine. I felt our lips touch softly and only for a moment. I pulled back. How could I feel this way about Ryan but still love Troy? I looked into Ryan's sad face and I knew he needed me. I helped him up and brought him over to the bed. "I think you should maybe get some rest, Ryan," I said. He nodded and lay his head down on his pillow." I'm going to go now, okay?" he nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow." I kissed the top of his head softly.

" Thank you Gabi and I'm sorry," He whispered. I nodded and left the room. I went and retrieved my things and left the house. I don't know what was happening to Ryan but I knew that he needed someone to work this out with and that person would be me. Even if I had to sacrifice some of my own needs I would help him.


	5. Pain and hurt

A.N: Okay so this took me a while to think of. And so you're warned this chapter contains the dreaded "s" word so you have been warned! This is "Mature" remember that!

Moday at school was difficult. First period I saw Ryan sitting by himself and I invited him over to sit with me. Troy gave me a quizzical look. I was worried about Ryan being around Troy because of what happened yesterday when I mentioned Troy's name. I tried to bring Ryan into our conversation but no matter what I did to get him to participate one of Troy's friends would shoot him down. I kept shooting Ryan reassuring looks but no matter what he would continue to look either nervous or scared. At one point I put my hand on Ryan's hand to comfort him and that's when I felt Troy pick me up by the arm and pull me outside the class.

"What the hell are you doing, Gabbs?" He questioned. I stepped back nervously and grabbed my arm.

"What do you mean?" I said naively. He glared at me.

"Oh don't even try that! I saw you. I'm not blind. What is with this whole 'let's be friends with Ryan the fag Evans' little thing you've got going on?" he said viciously. I didn't know how to respond but I was angry at what Troy had called Ryan. I knew that Troy had never liked Ryan and had always assumed he was gay but I had never heard him use the term 'fag'.

"Nothing is going on Troy. I just want Ryan to feel more comfortable because he's a great guy and he doesn't deserve all the torment he gets because of you and your stupid friends!" I shouted. Troy looked shocked. I never raised my voice around him.

"Are you cheating on me with him?" He asked quietly. I swallowed hard but I had a little bit of acting experience so I could pull this off.

"Cheat on you? With Ryan? Please tell me you're joking! You are unbelievable, Troy! Just because I'm not paying as much attention to you today you automatically assume I'm cheating on you!?" I shouted and walked back into the class. I looked around the class and realized that everyone had heard our little argument… Including Ryan. I could see the fury in his eyes as Troy walked back into the room. As soon as he sat down the bell for next period rang. Ryan collected his things and left the room before anyone had even gotten up. I debated following him but I knew it was too risky. As I was leaving the room I was grabbed from behind by Troy.

"Gabi… I am so sorry," He said sincerely. He grabbed my hand and looked deep into my eyes, "I was just a little jealous, okay? I'll admit it. I'm just not used to you giving Ryan so much attention and I promise I won't get mad about it anymore. Ryan seems like an okay guy."

"Thank you Troy." I said and hugged him tightly. He kissed the top of my head. "Let's get going we don't want to be late for class."

* * *

At lunch when we got to the cafeteria I noticed that Ryan was nowhere to be seen. I decided to go look for him.

"Hey, Troy, I forgot I have to go give something to one of my teachers, okay?"

"Oh sure, babe. Do you want me to go with you?" he was so sweet sometimes.

"No it's okay. You stay here and chill with the gang." I patted his arm and walked away. I wandered the hallways trying to find Ryan. I wandered around for almost ten minutes until I heard music coming from the music room. As I drew closer I could hear someone playing the piano. It was a soft and sad melody. I looked through the window and saw Ryan seated at the piano. I opened the door and walked in.

"Go away," Ryan said coldly without even looking to see who it was. I walked closer to him and pulled up a nearby seat.

"Ryan, look, I'm sorry for what happened this morning. I didn't want you to hear any of that," I said honestly. He turned around to look at me. His face was a mixture of hurt and anger.

"Oh so you didn't want me to hear you telling Troy that there is no way you would ever cheat on him with me aka Ryan the fag Evans" He said bitterly. I realized that it mustn't have been a very good thing to hear. I sighed.

"I had to tell him that, Ry. If I didn't he would break up with me."

"Well, what's so wrong with that?" He asked harshly. I bit my lip. "Oh, I get it now," He laughed bitterly, "You're in love with him so you don't want to leave him but you also want to be with me. But of course I'm not good enough to compare with Troy the golden boy."

"No, that's not it at all!" I cried touching his arm. He pulled away from me.

"Yes it is. Don't lie to me." He said quietly and grabbed my arm and shoved me away violently. I fell backwards off of my chair. I stared up at him in horror. For a moment he stood there looking proud of himself for what he had done but after a few seconds he slowly realized what happened. He rushed over to me.

"Oh my god, Gabriella. I can't believe I did that" He cried trying to help me up. I knocked his hand away and pulled myself up.

"No you know what, forget it. I wanted to help you, Ryan. I wanted to be around you but I'm not safe around you. You need professional help or something!" I yelled and walked away. He grabbed me by the arm.

"No, Gabi, wait!" He pleaded. I spun around quickly and slapped him in the face.

"Do… Not… Touch me, Ryan." I sneered and left the room slamming the music door behind me.

* * *

I didn't see Ryan again at school. Not that I cared much at the time. I stuck close to Troy for the rest of the afternoon just incase Ryan came back. By the end of the day it had started pouring outside and after school everyone rushed outside to get to their cars and the school bus. I ran to my car and got inside. After I had dried off a bit I realized that I forgot one of my books in my locker.

"Damn it" I said to myself and got out of my car. I ran inside the school and found my locker. On my way to my car again I heard a noise. It sounded like whimpering. I walked around to the side of the building and saw a figure crumpled up in front of the dumpster. "Oh my god, are you alright?" I asked rushing to help the person. The figure looked up and I realized it was Ryan. I gasped in shock. He had cuts on his face and I could see bruises forming already on his light skin.

"Gabi?" He asked squinting to see if it was me. I helped get him up to sit against the dumpster. His jacket had been torn and it was so soaked through it was definitely ruined. His hat was lying a few feet away and there were spots of blood on the ground where he had been lying.

"What happened?" I asked trying to wipe some of the blood off his face. When I touched his face he groaned in pain.

"Chad… and his friends" He said in between moans.

"Oh god" I said to myself. How could he? What an asshole Chad was. "Come on. Let's get you home" I said putting one arm under Ryan and helping him stand. We hobbled slowly back to my car.

"Don't take me home. If Sharpay sees me like this she'll freak" He said quietly. I nodded and helped get him buckled in. I got in my side and drove to my house. My mom was still at work so the coast would be clear. I brought him inside and took him to the washroom. I helped get his jacket off and I brought him a towel.

"Where does it hurt the most?" I asked him. He didn't say anything just looked at me.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked quietly. I hadn't really thought about it. I had been so angry with him earlier but seeing him lying on the ground made me realize how much I cared about him.

"You needed help. End of story. No where does it hurt?" I asked again. He nodded towards his chest and stomach. I poked his ribs and he cringed, "there?" he nodded. I helped him get his dress shirt off so he was only in his t-shirt and pants. I pulled his shirt off so I could see if there were any marks. I winced when I saw the purple and red marks all over his torso. "I can't believe those guys. Why would they do this?" I asked. Ryan looked carefully at me.

"They did it because of what happened with you and Troy today." He said. I knew he was right. I should have thought Chad and his posse would find any reason to beat on Ryan. "God, this whole situation is so messed up." He laughed. I couldn't help but let out a tiny giggle. Ryan smiled at me "At least we can still laugh about it" He said. I slowly leant in and kissed him on the lips. As soon as I did it led to something more than an innocent kiss. Ryan held me tightly and deepened the kiss which of course I obliged. After what felt like year we pulled away. A smirk was playing at Ryan's lips. I grabbed his hand and pulled him into my bedroom. Even though Ryan was still week he led me to the bed and lay me down on it. We continued to kiss for minutes. Slowly I could feel Ryan's hand slip under my shirt and I shivered. He felt it and stopped. "Maybe we shouldn't do…" I cut him off with another kiss. His hands roamed across my body and he lifted my shirt over my head. I quickly glanced at the clock and I knew my mom wouldn't be home for almost 3 more hours. Ryan suddenly started to get rougher as he unclasped my bra and continued to attack my mouth. It's not that I wasn't enjoying it but it was different than it had started. He reached down and unbuckled his belt and slipped off his pants. He roughly shoved me up against the headboard as he worked to undo my own pants. He slipped them off me and then took of my underwear. The only piece of clothing left between us was his boxers, which I reached down and took off for him. For a few more moments we continued to make out when suddenly I felt him thrust into me. I let out a cry. I was not ready for that. Sex wasn't new to me. Even though Troy and I had only been going out for two months we've slept together a few times. Ryan thrust harder and faster and I was moaning for release. I looked into Ryan's face and saw all of the pain, anger, and frustration finally being let go. Unfortunately this was being taken out on me. His thrusts started to become painful and I tried to slow him down.

"Ryan… slow down" I whispered to him but it was useless. He continued at his own pace. The pleasure was slowly turning into pain. I tried to pull away from him. "Ryan slow down!" I yelled in pain as he thrust even harder. I let out a cry of pain and suddenly he stopped. He looked into my eyes that were blurred by tears.

"Oh god, Gabi. I'm so sorry. I did it again. Fuck. I'm sorry." He said starting to cry. I grabbed his face and held it close to mine.

"Don't cry Ryan. It was an accident… Keep going." He looked at me nervously.

"Are you sure?" He asked. I nodded.

"Just slower." I tried to laugh. He held on to me and once again I felt him enter me. This time he went slower. After a few minutes I felt my climax coming. "Ryan." I moaned in pleasure. He kept up his pace and looked deep into my eyes.

"Gabi… I'm… Almost" He choked out as he reached his climax and I felt him burst inside of me, which made me come to mine. We lay in each other's arms for what felt like eternity. I lay beside him and looked at his sweet face. How could such a sweet person have so many problems? "Thank you, Gabi" he whispered. I smiled and cuddled up to him. I felt myself drift of to sleep.

A few hours later I woke up to the sound of my cell phone ringing. I looked beside me and I saw Ryan sleeping peacefully. I smiled and got up to get my phone. It was a text message. I opened it.

**To Gabriella:**

**Hey baby, Just txting 2 see how u are. **

**Love u,**

**Troy.**

I was suddenly overcome with guilt. I had cheated on Troy.


	6. He lied

A.N: I'm glad you guys like the story. AND IT'S JUST BEGINNING! Also there's a little from RYAN'S POV later on. More hectic stuff to come. By the way I'm sorry for any spelling errors. I'm not used to writing stories on the computer.

**To Gabriella:**

**Hey baby, Just txting 2 see how u are. **

**Love u,**

**Troy.**

_I was suddenly overcome with guilt. I had cheated on Troy._

I can't believe I had done this. I looked over at the sleeping body in my bed and felt a few tears escape my eyes. I quietly slipped on some pj pants and a shirt and went downstairs. I went to the kitchen and checked the messages on the answering machine. There was one from my mom.

"_Hey Gabriella. Not sure where you are but you're probably out with Troy. I won't be coming home until later because I was asked to stay longer. If you're hungry there is food in the fridge. Love you, honey."_

I sighed at the mention of Troy's name. I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost 8:30. I walked over to the fridge and took out a pizza and popped it in the oven. I hadn't realized how hungry I actually was. I heard some movement from the top of the stairs and looked up to see Ryan coming down the stairs and fortunately he was dressed. He stopped at the doorway.

"Hey." He smiled. I couldn't help but smile. I looked away embarrassed.

"Hi." I said shyly. I turned away from him to get a drink from the fridge. "I'm making a pizza… Do you want some?" I asked.

"Thanks for the offer but I should probably get home. My family might be worried." He said and I nodded. We stood in our places for a few awkward moments. "So yeah… I'll get going now." I nodded again. He turned around and started to walk away.

"Wait, Ryan!" I ran after him and caught him before he got outside. It was still raining out.

"Yeah?"

"Um. I'd really appreciate if you didn't tell anyone what happened" I said looking at my feet. I was scared to see his reaction. I felt him lift my chin up.

"Don't worry. I won't tell a soul." He said smiling and kissed me tenderly on the lips. He then left and walked out of the house.

"Do you want a ride?" I called out to him. He turned around and smiled, raising his arms above his head and spinning around.

"Nah. I think I'd like to walk." He laughed and headed off. I sighed happily and leaned against the doorframe and watched him walk away.

After he was out of sight I walked back inside and collapsed on a living room chair.

* * *

The next morning I walked into class and took my seat. I hadn't seen Troy or Ryan yet this morning and I was nervous to see both of them. 10 minutes of class had gone by and both Troy and Ryan had not came. That's strange. Maybe Ryan got sick from walking home in the rain. That was probably the reason he didn't come. Or maybe he was just scared to see Chad. At the thought of Chad I looked to my side and saw him talking and laughing with his friends. He turned around and smiled at me.

"Hey Gabi!" He said. I glared at him and turned my head back towards the teacher. For the rest of the class I could feel Chad shooting me nervous glances. Soon the bell for the period change went. I got up quickly and left the room. I could hear Chad calling my name. I turned around and saw Chad scrambling through the crowd of people to get to me.

"Gabi wait up!" he called. I leaned against the locker and tapped my foot impatiently. "Hey what's going on?" He asked when he finally reached me. "What was that look about in class?"

"You are UNBELIEVABLE, Chad" I said harshly. He gave me a questioning stare.

"…Huh?"

"Oh don't even start. I can't believe you did that to Ryan. You make me sick." I spat out. His look went from confused to completely lost.

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Hmmm… Yesterday… After school… Near the dumpster. You and your friends beating on Ryan!" I said coldly. Chad pushed me over to a secluded area underneath the stairwell.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said crossing his arms. I scoffed.

"Yes you do! Don't even try that. Ryan told me what happened. You and your gang jumped him after school and beat him up." Chad's confused glance didn't fade. "I know you did it…" I said but I could feel the uncertainty in my voice.

"Gabriella, I don't know what Ryan told you but we never beat the guy up. We had basketball practice right after school. Anyway even if I don't like the guy, which is true, I wouldn't beat on him." I could hear the honesty in his voice. I knew Chad well enough to know that he was a horrible liar and he was definitely not lying.

"Well then… Who would beat up Ryan?" I asked. But suddenly a thought popped in my mind. "Chad, was Troy at basketball practice yesterday?" I asked quickly. Realization dawned on his face.

"No… He said he had an appointment or something." He said. We looked at each other and I became worried. Both Troy and Ryan had been away today. Maybe that's the reason Ryan had lied to me about who beat him up. He wanted to protect me from finding out it was Troy because he knew I'd be upset. "So… you think that Troy pounded on Ryan?" Chad asked uncertainly.

"I don't know… But it seems the most likely and it does make sense. Troy said he had been jealous of Ryan because I was paying more attention to him." I said. Suddenly an idea popped into my head. "Chad I gotta go. See ya!" I said running off. I ran all the way to the gym and went to the gym office. I saw Troy's father, Jack Bolton, sitting at his desk. He heard me enter and he looked up.

"Oh, hello, Gabriella." He said politely, "Is there something I could do for you?" Coach Bolton said.

"Hello, Coach Bolton. I'm just here to ask where Troy is today and how come he wasn't at basketball practice yesterday." I asked cautiously. Coach Bolton sighed and took a long sip of his coffee.

"Well, yesterday Troy said he wasn't feeling well enough to go to basketball practice so I told him to go home. I was unaware that he didn't come to school today. He must still be sick." He said. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh I was just wondering where he was… He wouldn't pick up his phone when I called." I lied. Coach Bolton nodded. "Thank you Coach Bolton" I said and walked out. I took out my cell phone and called Troy. He didn't pick up. I tried to call Ryan but he didn't pick up either. I decided it was time to take a little trip.

I ran to the parking lot, not caring if I missed any school, and hopped in my car. I set off towards Ryan's house. When I got there I got out and ran to the front door. I rang the doorbell and prayed someone would answer the door. No one came so I rang the doorbell again. This time the door opened and Ryan was standing there in sweatpants and a black shirt and he had on the same sexy smirk as when I first witnessed his personality change. The bruises from yesterday hadn't cleared up and he had a very distinct black eye.

"Gabriella. What a pleasure" He said. I tried to regain my composure but seeing him like that made me a little week in the knees.

"Can I come in?" I asked. He sighed and made room for me to come in. I walked in and stood in the foyer.

"Is there something you want?" He asked. He didn't seem to care much that I was there. Which was surprising after what happened yesterday.

"Um… yeah. I want to know what really happened yesterday." I said. He laughed and stepped closer to me, grabbing my waist.

"Well first you brought me home and then managed to get my shirt off and then it kinda progressed from there." He said slyly. I tried to hide my blushing face.

"I meant… Before I picked you up. What happened with the fight?" He laughed and walked around me.

"I told you. Chad and his pals jumped me beside the school and pounded on me." He said leaning against the doorframe. I sighed.

"It wasn't Chad, Ryan." I said and his smile fell off his face. He stuck his hands in his pockets and clenched his jaw.

"You confronted him about it?" He asked angrily.

"Of course I did!" I shouted, "What was I supposed to do?"

"You were supposed to forget about it!" he yelled. I let out a small gasp. He quickly calmed down. "Whatever…"

"No not whatever… Tell me the truth. What happened?" I asked. He sighed and looked away. "It was Troy wasn't it?" I asked. He looked back at me and hesitated. He then smiled.

"Well, you figured it out. Props." He said laughing. I backed off. This wasn't funny at all. Why was he laughing?

"This isn't funny, Ryan" He stopped laughing and got serious.

"You're right. This isn't a laughing matter." He said gravely. I rolled my eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me it was Troy?" I said sadly. Ryan's face loosened up and he walked towards me. He lightly held my hands in his.

"I told you it was Chad because… I didn't want you to get hurt. I know how much you care about Troy and I knew you wouldn't want to know that Troy would do something like that." He told me softly. I let a few tears that had been waiting to spill, escape. He hugged me tightly. "I'm sorry Gabriella." I looked into his face and saw him smiling.

"Thank you for telling me the truth, Ryan." I said and let go of him. I begin to walk towards to the door.

"No problem, babe." He said. I turned around and saw him grinning at me. I decided to let that comment slide, no matter how un-Ryan like it was.

"Well I should go. Good bye Ryan" I said and walked outside. I turned back to the house to see Ryan still watching me from the doorway. He smirked and waved.

RYAN'S POV

I smirked and waved as I watched her walk away from my house. I closed the door and walked slowly to my bedroom. I lay on my bed and smiled to myself, thinking about how much I had Gabriella wrapped around my finger. Troy was definitely going to have an unpleasant encounter with Gabriella later on.

Suddenly something happened and I changed. I got up quickly and began breathing heavily.

"What did I do?" I said to myself.


	7. Hearing the truth is hard

After I had left, I decided to just go home. I wasn't in the mood to go back to school and even though I had considered it, I didn't want to go see Troy. I got home and went to make some lunch. I knew my mother wouldn't be coming home anytime soon because she was out of town for a business meeting. I finished making my lunch and went upstairs to my room. I turned on my computer and started working on an assignment that wasn't due for another week.

A couple hours passed and I looked at the time. It was 3:15. I sighed and continued to work. Suddenly my cell started ringing. I looked at the call display. "**TROY is calling**".

"Damn." I hissed to myself. I figured I would have to talk to him sooner or later so I answered the call.

"Hi Troy." I said stoically. I heard a cough on the other end of the phone.

"Hi Gabi." He choked out.

"What's wrong? You weren't at school today." I said trying to sound concerned. I heard another cough on the other end of the line.

"I'm not feeling very well so I stayed home." He responded. I rolled my eyes and tried to turn my attention to something else.

"Is there something you wanted?"

"I was wondering if you could come over…"He said. I shuddered. First, I was angry with him. Secondly, he was sick. Thirdly… I was angry with him.

"You're sick!" I said trying to make it sound like that was the biggest concern I had about seeing him.

"I'm not that sick. It's just a little cold. I just needed to get some rest. Plus it feels like I haven't seen you in forever." He laughed. I pretended to laugh along with him. This could be a good chance for me to talk to him.

"Okay fine I'll come over." I said with the sickly sweet voice I did so well.

"Alright babe. See ya soon." He said and hung up. I sighed and threw myself on my bed. I HATED this whole situation.

15 minutes later I was parked outside Troy's house. I made my way to the front door and let myself in. We always let ourselves into each other's houses because we had become so close. I walked into the front hall and took of my shoes and coat.

"Troy?" I called. I heard rustling upstairs and then someone came bounding down the stairs.

"Hey Gabi!" He called as he appeared at the bottom of the stairs. He hurried towards me and picked me up, spinning me around. "Long time no see!" He attempted to kiss me but I pulled away. "What's wrong?" He asked confused.

"You're sick… Remember?" I said turning away. He put me down and let me go. "Thank you."

"Sooo… How are you?" He asked smiling brightly. I tried to shrug off my nervousness.

"Actually,Troy… I'm not doing too great" I said honestly.

"What do you mean? What's wrong?" He looked concerned.

"I need to talk to you." I said glancing at him quickly. The smile quickly fell from his face.

"…About what?" He asked nervously. I shuffled my feet awkwardly.

"About… Ryan" I glanced back at him. His dull expression turned to anger in a blink of an eye.

"What about him?" he spat. I folded my arms. I wasn't going to let his temper get to me. I didn't speak mostly because I was trying to think of how to phrase my thoughts. "Oh god. Are you here to tell me you're breaking up with that idiot?" He snarled.

"No, Troy! GOD, why do you hate him so much?" I cried.

"I don't have to explain that to you! I just do. There's nothing good about him!" He yelled. I scoffed in response. "Oh of course YOU disagree…" He laughed angrily.

"There's nothing good about him? So is that why you decided to practically beat the life out of him?!" I cried.

"What the hell are you talking about!? Did your new boyfriend tell you that?!" He screamed slamming his fist into the wall making me jump.

"First off, YES he told me that and I believe him! There's enough evidence to prove it. You 'skipped' basketball practice and told your friends and your dad different stories as to why and YOU HATE HIM. SECONDLY he's not my boyfriend but if you keep acting this way he might be pretty soon!"

"I can't believe you believe that little fag over your own boyfriend!" He shouted and grasped the wall tightly.

"I told you to not call him that!"

"Oh yeah I'm sorry! He's not gay. He's got you! What happened?! Did you sleep with him or something?!" he said coldly not really hearing what he was saying. I quieted down and turned away. The tears that had formed in my eyes were now running down my face. "No…" I heard him whisper. "No… You didn't." He cried softly, "YOU DIDN'T!" He grabbed me and spun me around. "Tell me you didn't do it. Tell me!!" He cried, tears spilling down his face. I could barely look at him.

"I'm sorry, Troy… I'm so sorry." I whispered and broke away from him. He pulled me back.

"What?! Was I not good enough for you!? I couldn't 'satisfy' you like he could? Is that it?" He shouted, shaking me. I tried to push him off me but he was too strong.

"I hate you, Troy!" I yelled and finally broke loose. He stared at me in shock.

"What did you say…" He asked quietly. I regained my composure and looked him straight in the eye.

"I said 'I hate you'" I replied coldly. "I hate you for how you're acting, I hate you for the way you've treated me recently and mostly… I hate you for how you've treated Ryan."

"But I didn't do anything" He tried but I cut him off.

"Don't, Troy. Don't even try." I said. He turned around and began to walk away.

"Then he got what he deserved." He said quietly, "Now get out of my house." He walked up the stairs and disappeared. I stood shocked for several moments and then left. I drove back to my house and ran inside crying. Everything I had been so happy to have just a week ago was now gone. All I had was Ryan. Suddenly I heard a knock at my door. I rushed to get it, hoping it was Ryan but it wasn't. I was surprised to see the last person I expected, standing in my doorway.

"Sharpay?" I said confused.

"Yeah hi. We need to talk." She said and brushed past me and walked into my house.

"Uh okay… Invite yourself in why don't you?" I mumbled. She stood in the middle of the hall looking around.

"Cute house." She said.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked tiredly. She turned and faced me.

"I came to talk about Ryan."

"What about him? Is he okay?" I panicked.

"Yeah, yeah he's fine, god chill out." She said.

"Okay then what is it?" Her gaze was fierce but I could recognize a hint of concern. She didn't say anything. "Sharpay?" she sighed.

"… Troy didn't beat up Ryan." She said. I tensed up.

"What do you mean Troy didn't beat him up? Ryan told me he did." I said nervously but I could hear the disdain in my voice.

"Well, Ryan lied." She said. I gazed at my feet. I tried to figure out what was going on in my head.

"If Troy didn't do it who did?" I asked quietly. Sharpay's expression softened and walked past me but stopped in the doorway. I didn't have the courage to face her for somehow I knew what she was going to say. She looked at me over her shoulder. The words came out and she left. I slid to the floor and put my head in my hands and cried. I sat for what seemed an eternity and replayed her words over and over in my head…

_"Ryan did it to himself"_


	8. When you let your heart win

**A/N: Hey sorry it took a while to update. This chapter isn't too long cuz I've been really busy lately so yeah. I'll try to update after this as soon as I can. Hope you enjoy!!**

I sat in the middle of my front hall for what seemed hours. In that time it had started to rain. It had been doing that a lot lately. I gazed out the window at the rain pouring down and soaking the grass and flooding the street. Ryan's face, bruised and bloodied, popped into my mind. I thought back to the day when I had found him lying, in pain, at the side of the school. Cries of anger and sadness escaped my mouth. I finally managed to pick myself up and walk to the nearest telephone. I picked it up and dialed Taylor's number.

"Hello?" I heard Taylor's voice say when she answered.

"Taylor, hi. It's Gabi." I mumbled.

"Hey hun. What's wrong?" She asked. I guess she had heard the despair in my voice.

"I just… I need you to come over. Can you?"

"Of course, Gabs. I'll see you in a few, okay?"

"Thanks Tay." I hung up and slumped over to my couch and lay down. I guessed I was in a state of shock. Knowing that I had lost Troy all because of Ryan and his lies made me feel… Empty. I lay there motionless for a few minutes when I heard my doorbell ring. I got up slowly and saw Taylor through the window. I walked to the door and let her in. I led her into the living room and for a few moments we sat in silence.

"Okay, Gabs. What's up? What's going on?" She said breaking the silence. I slouched over and put my head in my hands. I felt the tears escape my eyes again and I felt Taylor come over and rub my back soothingly. "Gabs, what's wrong? Please tell me. Is it Troy??" I gave a slow nod. "Oh, hun what happened." I sat up and told her the whole story. Of how I first met the 'real' Ryan Evans and how I had cheated on Troy with him and how it was in fact Ryan who had beat himself up and not Troy or Chad. After I finished telling her everything we sat in silence once again. I looked at her face and saw no expression.

"Taylor?" I said. She got up slowly and walked in a circle in front of me.

"Okay so… You cheated on Troy, one of the nicest guys ever, because Ryan, one of the weirdest guys ever, told you he had beat him up?" She asked trying to process all of the information. I nodded quietly. "And then… You told Troy and then you broke up with him…?"

"Well I guess you could put it that way." I mumbled sadly. The way she said it made me sound like such an idiot. But I guess she was right,

"And then Sharpay, who hates you, came and told you that Ryan beat himself up 'cause he's insane,"

"He's not insane…" I protested quietly. Taylor stopped pacing and looked at me with shock quite evident in her expression.

"Not insane? GABI. Look at what he did! He's crazy! He's a crazy, psychology MESSED up, liar." She shouted. I flinched and put my head down again.

"He… Maybe he had a reason…"

"No, Gabi. The only reason is that he's pissed off at everyone for how they treat him so he's getting revenge by messing up your life and Troy's,"

"You don't know that, Tay! He needs help. Something is wrong with him. I know he's ruined everything but maybe if I help him-," I started saying but Taylor cut me off.

"Help him?! Gabs you've helped him enough! You've given him what he wanted, Troy's life to be ruined. Ryan has every reason to hate Troy and now you've helped him get his petty revenge but you got hurt in the way too."

"What do you know!? You think you know everything Taylor, but you don't! You don't know anything about Ryan OR me! There's a reason behind this and I need to find it out!" I yelled. Taylor became silent. She walked to the front hall. "Where are you going?!" I called, following her. She reached the front door and turned around.

"If this is how you feel about this then I'm outa here, Gabi." She said, "I'm not gonna watch you mess your life up even more. So when you come to your senses, call me." She said and left. I stood there speechless. Why had everything become so confusing? In one day I had broken up with the most amazing person I've ever known, found out that Ryan had lied to me the entire time, and I had just lost my best friend. I tried to cry but it seemed as though all my tears had run out. I ran upstairs to my room and found a random CD lying on the floor. I noticed it as the CD my cousin had burned for me. I put it in my CD played and pressed play. I didn't recognize the first song. It was a punk/rock/pop song by a band I didn't know. I let it play on.

_ No sir, well I don't wanna be the blame, not anymore.  
It's your turn, so take a seat we're settling the final score.  
And why do we like to hurt, so much?_

I can't decide  
You have made it harder just to go on  
And why, all the possibilities where I was wrong

That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.  
That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.  
I drowned out all my sense with the sound of its beating.  
And that's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.

I wonder, how am I supposed to feel when you're not here.  
'Cause I burned every bridge I ever built when you were here.  
I still try holding onto silly things, I never learn.  
Oh why, all the possibilities I'm sure you've heard.

That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.  
That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.  
I drowned out all my sense with the sound of its beating. (beating)  
And that's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.

Pain make your way to me, to me.  
And I'll always be just so inviting.  
If I ever start to think straight,  
This heart will start a riot in me,  
Let's start, start, hey!  
  
Throughout the song I felt every single piece of hope I had slip away. Taylor had been right. Troy had been right. In a weird way, Ryan had been right. I was the only one who believed that there could be good in every situation. I was wrong and now all the things I had were gone and I had no one left.

_Why do we like to hurt so much?  
Oh why do we like to hurt so much?_

That's what you get when you let your heart win!  
Whoa.

That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.  
That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.

Now I can't trust myself with anything but this,  
And that's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa. 

When the song had finished I lay there replaying it in my head. How could a song sum of everything I was feeling? But suddenly I was brought out of my thoughts by a knock at my front door. I raced downstairs and opened the door. As soon as I did I regretted it.

Standing at my front door was Ryan Evans.

**A/N: Did you like? Anyways if anyone's wondering the song used in this chapter is called "That's what you get" by Paramore.**


	9. Confronting a Liar

_Standing at my front door was Ryan Evans._

"Hi Gabriella. May I come in?" He smiled politely. He was dressed in a light blue dress shirt and he had on gray pants. He also of course had a light blue cap that matched his shirt.

"Um." Was all I could manage to say. His polite expression turned to confusion. He tried to push past me into the house but I blocked the doorway. "I don't think that's such a good idea…" I said slowly. His face looked even more confused.

"What do you mean?" He said and then laughed, "Hah oh, do you not want it to lead to something else." He said winking, " 'Cause I promise it won't." I tried to push that thought to the back of my head.

"No," I said seriously, "I just don't think it's a good idea." He backed up a step and looked around. He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"So I guess I'll just talk to you from here?" He laughed. When he saw that I was still serious he stopped laughing and cleared his throat. "What's going on, Gabi?" He asked stepping closer and putting his hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it off and crossed my arms. I stepped outside and closed the door behind me. I wanted to make sure we were out in the open just in case anything happened.

"… Sharpay came by today." I said looking at the ground. I heard Ryan chuckle.

"Sharpay?" He laughed, "What the heck was she doing here?" He asked smiling. He seemed so innocent. I couldn't believe that someone like him could be so troubled.

"That's what I thought at first… But she came here to tell me something," I said trying not to look at his beautiful, happy, face, "Something about you." I finished. Ryan once again looked confused but I could see him start to fidget.

"About me?" He said looking at his shoes and shuffling his feet. "Why would she come here to talk about me? No offence, but I didn't think Sharpay was too fond of you."

"I didn't think so either," I nodded and continued, "But I guess she really needed to tell me because… It was important for me to know." I could see beads of sweat starting to form on Ryan's forehead. He tried to wipe them away.

"Oh, well… What was it?" He asked nervously. By this time I was slightly angry and fed up with Ryan's constant lying. I walked straight up to him and looked him in the eyes.

"I think you know." I said coldly. I expected to hear a 'gulp' from Ryan or see some sort of terror in his eyes but when I said it he regained his posture and smirked.

"Is that so?" He said sarcastically. It was now me who was starting to feel nervous. He stepped closer to me and I could feel his breath on my skin. "I really don't know what you're talking about." And that was it. I shoved him roughly and watched him fall to the ground. He looked up at me and I saw anger in his eyes. "What the hell?!" He yelled. I walked quickly towards him as he tried to get up and I shoved him again. Something inside of me had snapped.

"Don't even try it, Ryan!" I yelled, "You know what you did! It wasn't Troy who beat you up! You did it to yourself!" I continued to yell. Ryan had lost all colour in his face (though he had little colour to start with) and his eyes were wide. I could see tears forming in his brilliant blue eyes.

"Gabi… I can explain!" He tried but I pushed him again.

"I don't care anymore! You've ruined everything!" I yelled. By this time a few neighbours had come out to see what the noise was. "You made me think Troy did it all! You made me hate him and now I can't fix it! I even lost my best friend because of you!" I cried as I punched him in the chest.

"Gabriella please listen to me," He cried. His face was wet with tears and his hat had been knocked off, "I didn't want you to get hurt. I never wanted that." He said still crying. I continued to beat his chest but he was strong and he grabbed my arms and held them still.

"LET ME GO!" I yelled.

"No Gabi, please you have to listen to me!" He cried and I broke free and slapped him hard in the face. It took a second for both of us to figure out what had just happened. I could see the anger return to his eyes and I felt myself fall hard to the ground and I saw that Ryan was standing over me. I started to cry even more as I curled up into a little ball.

Suddenly I heard some groaning and I saw that Ryan was now too lying on the grass. I looked up and saw a few people crowding around. Most of them were neighbours.

"Get outa here!" One of them yelled at Ryan. He quickly stumpled to get up and he looked at me desperately.

"Gabi…" He said sadly. "I'm so sorry." I got up and started to walk back to my house.

"GABI PLEASE. I love you!" I heard him yell. I stopped and tried to regain my strength but I couldn't. I felt more tears fall and I tried to dismiss the pain in my heart. _I love you._ I braced myself against me door and looked back. A few guys were pushing Ryan back to his car. I saw his face was red and wet from crying. He looked at me sadly one last time and got in his car and drove away. I continued to cry as I watched Ryan drive away. One of the women came up to me and helped me stand up.

"Are you okay, dear? That gave us quite a fright." She said kindly. I nodded and apologized for the noise. When everyone had left I sat on my front step looking at the sky. When I finally came out of my trance I looked at my lawn and saw something blue lying on the grass. I walked over to it and picked it up. It was Ryan's hat. I hugged it tightly to my chest and walked back inside. I hadn't realized how much time had gone by but it was almost 8:00. I sighed and went to the kitchen to make some food. I checked the messages on the phone and found another one from my mother telling me she wouldn't be home until very late. I sighed again and continued to look for something to eat. All this crying had made me hungry. Suddenly the telephone rang.

"UGH" I groaned and walked over to it. "Hello?" I said irritably.

"Gabriella?" I heard a rushed voice say.

"Yes, who is this?" I asked worriedly.

"Gabriella, it's Sharpay." She said quickly.

"Oh, what do you want?" I asked annoyed. I had to admit I wasn't happy to hear from her again so soon.

"This is serious, Gabriella. Something's happened," She said but she sounded scared. Not like how she normally sounded at all which was obnoxious and harsh.

"What did Ryan beat himself up again?" I said sarcastically.

"Gabriella, stop it!" I heard her yell over the phone and it caused me to jump.

"Okay okay I'm sorry. What's wrong?"

"It's Ryan!" She cried. I breathed in quickly and tried to steady my breathing.

"What happened?" I said nervously. She didn't answer for a few moments and I heard sobs. "Sharpay?" I yelled. "What is it? What's wrong?" I asked. I heard her sniff.

"Ryan…" She started crying again.

"Sharpay? WHAT HAPPENED?!" I cried impatiently.

"Ryan… He's. He left." She cried and started sobbing again. I stood there for a moment, confused.

"What do you mean he left?" I asked. There was another pause.

"I mean. Ryan's run away."


	10. The Truth about Ryan

"_I mean. Ryan's run away."_

I stood still… Frozen from shock.

"Gabriella?" Sharpay asked quietly. "Gabriella, are you there?" She sniffed. I dropped the phone and sank to the floor. "_Gabriella!?"_ I could hear Sharpay cry over the phone. I crawled over to where the phone lay and held it up to my ear.

"He ran away?" I asked, trying not to believe it. For some reason I couldn't stand to think that Ryan was alone and missing. Even though he had ruined so much for me something inside of me kept holding on to the feelings I had for him.

"Yes, Gabriella. He's gone. I came home and I found a note for me from Ryan saying that something had happened and he couldn't take it anymore so he decided to leave… There's a note for you too. I haven't read it." She said. I nodded then realized that Sharpay couldn't see that.

"Can I- Can I come over?" I mumbled.

"Of course… You need to read the letter."

"Right, right. Um. I'll be over in a few minutes. I just need to do something first." I said and hung up. I walked slowly up the stairs to the bathroom. I stood in front of the mirror looking at my reflection for a few moments.

"What have you done, Gabi?" I asked myself. "This isn't Ryan's fault… This is yours" my reflection seemed to say to me, "If you hadn't gone back to Ryan's or if you didn't fall for him none of this would be happening, you'd be with Troy right now." I told myself. After a few more moments I walked downstairs and left for Sharpay's.

When I got there Sharpay hugged me tightly. To be honest it was a bit awkward because it wasn't a secret that Sharpay had negative feelings towards me and now she was hugging me, and crying.

"Sharpay… Shhh." I said trying to calm her down. I had been standing a few minutes with Sharpay crying in my arms and I was getting a little impatient. "Sharpay!" I said a little louder, startling her and making her stand up.

"Ahem. I'm sorry." She sniffed, finally letting the tears stop. "You want to see the letter, right?" She dragged me to Ryan's room. She stood in the doorway and pointed to the bed. "It's right there." She said, pointing to a letter that was lying on his pillow. From the doorway I could see that it said my name on the front. I walked over to the bed and grabbed the letter. I looked at Sharpay and she nodded. "I'll be across the hall in my room." I sat alone in Ryan's room for a few moments just taking in the surroundings. I looked at the floor and saw Ryan's shirt that he had been wearing earlier. I picked it up and held it close. I noticed that it had a few grass stains on it. I hugged it tightly and went back to looking at the letter. I breathed in deeply and opened the envelope. I unfolded the paper and started reading Ryan's message.

_Dear Gabriella,_

_I'm sure you probably hate me right now and I can't express how much I wish you didn't. I know what I did was horrible and you have no idea how terrible I feel. I wish I could explain to you what happened in this letter but it's not possible. It would be hard enough to explain in person and if I had to do it in this letter I wouldn't be able to. All I can say is that what I did was wrong and I'm sorry. I didn't want you to get hurt because even though it may not seem like I do, I love you. You've made me feel something that I've never felt for anyone else before and that just makes this so much harder to do. __I've left, Gabriella. I'm not sure if it's for good, but I know I can't be near you anymore. I can't control my actions and I don't know why.. Well, I do but it was never explained very well. Ask Sharpay what I mean by that. Anyways, Gabi, I have to go now. Please don't hate me… And please don't come looking for me. I need time to myself to figure this out. I'll miss you and I love you. Please stay safe._

_Love,_

_Ryan_

_P.s. Please… Fix things with Troy. I know I messed that up severely but I want you to be happy and I know he can make you happy._

A few tears had escaped my eyes and had fell on to the piece of paper, smearing some of the words. I tried to read the letter again but my vision was blurred from my tears and I couldn't help but let a small cry escape my mouth. I lay down on the bed, holding his shirt and the letter and cried into his pillow. Even though I felt nauseous I was calmed by Ryan's scent on the pillow. I finally regained my strength and stumbled out of the room. I saw a pink door, which I assumed to be Sharpay's and I opened it. Sharpay was sitting, crossed legged, on her bed reading what I assumed to be her own letter from Ryan. I managed to choke out a few words.

"What's wrong with him?" I cried softly. It had never occurred to me to ask Sharpay about Ryan but now that he had mentioned it in his letter I did. She sighed and patted the spot next to her.

"You should probably sit down." She said. I walked over beside her and sat down. She faced me, "Okay, this might be a little difficult to hear and WAY confusing but even I don't really know how to explain it completely." She said.

"It doesn't matter, Sharpay. I need to know what's going on." I told her. She nodded and continued.

"First off, you need to know that when Ryan was little, he was the most amazing kid. He was nice, polite to everyone, a little shy but still fun to be around. He never did anything bad and he wouldn't hurt a fly," She said, remembering those times. I cringed at how much Ryan had changed, "but one day… I don't really know what happened. I think we were about 7. I was in the house and I heard Ryan start crying from outside so I ran to see what happened. He was laying under the swings crying and he had a nasty red bump on his forehead."

"He hit his head on the swing?" I asked and she nodded but gave me an annoyed look because I interrupted her story, "Sorry, continue"

"Anyways… I tried to ask what happened but all he would do was cry. I don't remember where our parents were but they weren't around so I brought him inside and I got some ice for his head. He calmed down a bit and he wouldn't talk. I kept asking if he was alright but he didn't say anything or even acknowledge the fact that I was talking to him. Then suddenly… It's kinda blurry but I remember that I was talking to him and he just got up and left. So, of course I was kinda pissed off 'cause well… He left when I was talking to him. I was a bit of a drama queen back then." She said and I rolled my eyes, "so, I went after him and I started yelling at him or something and he just started laughing. I remember I was so creeped out by it because Ryan was afraid of me back then and he would NEVER have stood up to me or not taken me seriously. So I asked him what was so funny and I can remember him saying 'who do you think you are? You're _nothing_" and then he laughed and walked away. I think I even started crying because Ryan never talked like that and he never said anything mean and that's when it started."

"When what started?" I asked, already confused. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Well you have noticed how Ryan kinda has… Uh… Split personalities?" she said. I nodded. "Well yeah. That. After that day he was different. Once in a while acted mean, he was sarcastic and full of himself. Most of the time he was just normal Ryan but the smallest things would set him off. We thought it was normal at first. Maybe just a phase but one day we came home to find that my hamster was dead. We asked him what happened and he told us that the hamster bit him so he killed it. Five minutes after he told us he seemed to realize what he actually did and started crying and apologizing, saying he didn't want to do it. So that's when mom and dad took him to a doctor. He was diagnosed with something really similar to schizophrenia and he was put on medication. After that he was completely fine. I think somewhere down the line he stopped taking his medication but he was always fine. But something happened just before you came to East High and it started again. It wasn't serious and he told us he was still taking his medication but every once in a while he would say something that was completely unlike him. And that day when you came to drop of our homework… It seemed to get worse again." She finished.

"Wait. Are you saying this is my fault?" I questioned. Sharpay's eyes went wide and she started shaking her head.

"No!" She said, "I'm just saying that's when it started happening again. He told us not to worry and that he was fine. He didn't want people finding out because he went through enough already with people calling him names and stuff." She explained. Another thought popped into my head.

"You said that something happened before I came to East High? Something that made him start changing again. What was it?" I asked. Sharpay looked away and sighed.

"I don't really know if it's my place to say." She said honestly but I didn't care.

"Sharpay! Please. I want to know."

"Okay okay. You know- You know how the popular guys don't really like him?" She said and I nodded, "Well, one day… I guess it was after the guys gym class. A few of the jocks… Including Chad and Troy, decided to play a prank on Ryan." She said, "Anyways they decided it would be really funny if they took his clothes and hid them from him. And I guess this was when he was in the shower or something so they took his clothes and threw them in the trash." I bit my lip in anger. I can't believe people at East High could be so horrible. "Okay, now don't get mad at me because this is the truth… But part of the prank was that Troy told him he knew where his clothes were and he brought him out into the hall and people were there and started laughing at Ryan because all he was in was a towel and then…" I stared at her, willing her to go on.

"… And then..?" I asked slowly.

"Ugh then Chad told everyone that Ryan was trying to make a move on Troy. That's why everyone thinks Ryan's gay." She finished. By this time I was fuming. How could Troy and Chad have done such a horrible thing? But then suddenly I realized something. I got up quickly and paced the room.

"Sharpay… That would have made Ryan hate Troy… Wouldn't it have?" I asked. She nodded unsurely.

"I guess. I know he didn't much care for him." She said and I continued pacing.

"What if this whole thing was just… A way to get back at Troy?" I asked feeling like an idiot. Had this entire situation just been made up so that Troy would be hurt in the end? Did Ryan just make this all up to get revenge? But hadn't Ryan told me he loved me? Maybe that was an accident and he hadn't thought that would ever happen. But it did.

"I don't know… I don't think Ryan would really do that." She said cautiously. I stopped pacing and stood in front of her.

"Yeah but his other side would." I said. Her eyes widened as she realized what had really happened.

"Oh god. I am so sorry, Gabriella." Sharpay said sadly. Apologies from Sharpay were new and very strange to hear.

"It's okay. I'll sort it out. I just have to find Ryan."

"But his letter said not to look for him." Sharpay argued.

"Sharpay! You're his sister! Who cares what he says? He needs to come home!" I sounded absolutely exasperated.

"You're right… We should go look for him. He couldn't be far." She said. I nodded in agreement.

"Okay we should get going now. It's already dark out and I want to find him before it gets too dark to even see." We both got up and started walking out the door.

"Wait Gabriella!" Sharpay said and I turned around.

"What is it?" I asked sounding worried. She stood still for a moment and then looked down at her shoes.

"Do you think maybe I should change my shoes before we go? I mean I could get serious blisters from these." She said. I rolled my eyes and went to get the car ready.

**A/N: Okay so this is the SECOND LAST CHAPTER. The next chapter will probably be pretty long. This one was kinda just a means to get to the next one ahaha. If you have any questions about the plot just ask and I'll try to answer them all in the last chapter!! **


	11. Clausen's Point

**A/N: Okay so I said this would be the last chapter but I kinda lied. After this there will be an epilogue… You'll see why.**

Sharpay and I had been driving around for almost half an hour and we hadn't spotted Ryan anywhere.

"UGH. Where could he have gone?" I shouted impatiently as I stopped at a stop sign. Sharpay sighed and shrugged. Suddenly I spotted a figure down the street. "Wait… Is that…" I started. Sharpay sat up hopefully.

"Ryan?!" She shouted. I got out of the car to get a better look. "Is it Ryan?" She yelled from the car.

"No…" I whispered as I realized who it was. I ran towards the figure. "Troy!" I yelled. The guy turned around and it was infact Troy.

"Gabriella?" He said. I nodded and tried to catch my breath. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm… I'm looking for Ryan" I said between breaths. I heard him groan.

"Oh, of course you are." He sighed and continued to walk off in the opposite direction.

"Wait, Troy!" I said catching up to him.

"What do you want?" He asked. I looked up at him and saw that his expression was a mix of sadness and disgust. I sighed.

"I need your help" I said quietly. He scoffed.

"You- You need my help?" He laughed angrily, "My help to look for Ryan? Now why would I want to help you do that?"

"He ran away, Troy." I told him sadly. I heard a sharp intake of breath. Troy's expression has quickly turned to shock, "He might do something, Troy. I don't want him to get hurt… Or worse."

"Oh it's just _you_." I heard a voice from behind me. I turned around and saw Sharpay walking up to us. "Gabriella, come on. It's getting really dark." She said, "Is he coming?" I looked up at Troy hopefully.

"Why should I?" He inquired. I looked at my feet for a few moments and then mumbled something. "What…?" Troy asked and I said it a little louder.

"Because I'm sorry, Troy." I said with more confidence, "I'm sorry for what I did to you. It was a mistake," I kept going, "But I can't change what I did. If I could, I would, but I can't."

"Gabriella…" Troy started but I cut him off.

"Let me finish," I said it little louder than I had intended. Troy looked startled, "I know you hate me and I know you definitely hate Ryan but this wasn't his fault. I knew what I was doing and I let it happen. I shouldn't have. Ryan needs my help now and once again I know what I'm doing but this time I don't regret it. Ryan is troubled, Troy. Really, really, troubled and I have to do everything I can to help because… It may be because of me. So if you don't want to help us fine. But I just thought you should know where I stand."

There was an awkward silence when I stopped speaking but suddenly a voice broke the silence.

"Okay… Well if that's it we should really get back to looking for my brother." Sharpay said. I looked at her and nodded. We started to walk away when I felt a tug on my arm.

"Gabriella… it's okay." Troy said quietly. I faced him once again but this time tears were flowing from my eyes. He lifted a hand and wiped away a tear from my cheek. "I'll help you, Gabi. If it's this important to you… I'll help." He said and I smiled. He drew me into a hug and I grasped him tightly.

"Thank you, Troy." I mumbled into his chest.

"Um, guys? Yeah, hi, Sharpay here. Can we please get going? Remember Ryan? My brother? Missing? Let's go!" Sharpay shouted tugging at Troy and I. We let go of each other and hurried back to the car.

We drove for about 10 more minutes when I stopped at the side of the road. I turned to the back seat and looked at Sharpay.

"Okay, we have to think about this. Sharpay, do you know anywhere that Ryan would go? Maybe somewhere he feels safe?" I asked her. I looked beside me at Troy and he shrugged and held my hand tightly. We both looked back at Sharpay with anxious expressions.

"There is one place…" She said quietly, "I don't know though. I heard him talk about this place once. He said he went there to think."

"That's great!" I shouted happily. "Where is it??"

"That's the thing… I don't know where it is." Sharpay sighed, "He said it was near some cliffs or something… In the forest. He said a name but I don't remember it." She said.

I sighed and leaned back in disappointment. Suddenly Troy spoke up.

"It wouldn't be Clausen's point, would it?" he said. Sharpay's face lit up.

"That's it!!! Clausen's point!!!" She shouted. I turned to Troy and hugged him.

"Where is this place?" I asked.

"It's only about a 15 minute drive north. I used to go there with my cousins." Troy said. I beamed and turned the car back on.

"We might as well give it a shot. We don't have much more of a choice." Sharpay said and I nodded in agreement.

We drove north for 15 minutes when Troy told me to turn left into a forested area.

"You sure this is it?" I asked and he nodded.

"It's about 5 minutes in." He said. I continued to drive through the forest.

"I hope this is it…" I whispered to myself when suddenly Sharpay shouted.

"LOOK! It's Ryan's car!" She pointed to a clearing where I spotted a car. "That's his!" As I pulled up closer I realized it was his. I parked and we all go out of the car.

"Where is he?" I asked no one in particular.

"Guys…" Troy said quietly. I turned to look at him and saw him pointing to something in the distance. I followed his gaze and spotted the edge of a cliff. A figure was standing there.

It was Ryan.

"Nobody shout… It might startle-." I said quietly but was cut off by a loud shriek.

"RYAN EVANS, GET AWAY FROM THAT CLIFF RIGHT NOW!" Sharpay's loud voice echoed in the clearing. Ryan turned around quickly and took a step back, almost falling.

"Sharpay!" I hissed. She stormed towards Ryan and stopped a few meters away from him. I followed her and stood beside her.

"Sharpay? Gabriella?" He said sounding shocked, "I told you not to come looking for me" I felt Troy come up behind me. "What is _he_ doing here?" He asked with a hint of anger in his tone.

"Ryan, please come away from the cliff," I pleaded softly. He laughed quietly and turned back to face the edge of the cliff, looking down at the crashing waves.

"Why should I?" he laughed. I took a small step forward, not wanting to startle him by getting too close.

"Ryan, come on. Let's go home." I said cautiously. He turned back around and I could see tears shimmering on his cheeks.

"No!" He cried. He took another small step backwards.

"Ryan, get your ass over here RIGHT NOW." Sharpay said, pointing a finger at him, "If you jump, I swear to GOD, I will bring you back and kill you again myself."

"Sharpay, please, can you not?" I said over my shoulder. "Ryan, don't do this." I pleaded.

"Yeah, man. Come on, we'll take you back home." Troy said cautiously coming closer.

"Why are you doing this?!" Ryan cried with tears streaming down his face, "Why are you trying to help me?!" I gasped quietly and put my hand out.

"We care about you, Ry. We want to help you because we care about you." I said softly. Ryan looked at my hand softly and turned back to the edge. "Ryan, don't"

"But I messed up so much…" He said quietly. "I ruined everything."

"No, man." Troy said, "You didn't okay? It's okay now. We forgive you. And I'm sorry for all the stuff I've put you through in the past." Ryan turned around again.

"You- You're sorry?" He asked sounding unconvinced. Troy nodded.

"That… Thing that happened with us. You know… the prank…" Troy said slowly and Ryan nodded, " I didn't mean for it to go that way… I was trying to help, man, really I was. I didn't know people would be there and I was too scared to go against them. I'm sorry." Troy finished. I looked at him and could see even a few tears forming in his eyes. I looked back at Ryan. He was trying to take it all in.

"You… Tried to help me?" He asked and Troy nodded. Sharpay stepped forward and put her own hand out.

"Please Ryan. We love you… I love you. You're my brother. I need you here." She said sadly. Ryan glanced at her and smiled.

"I love you too, Shar." He smiled and Sharpay smiled back. He glanced at me and held his gaze. "Am I really forgiven?" He asked me. I nodded.

"Of course you are, Ryan. Sharpay's right. We love you. I love you." I said and smiled warmly. He smiled back and took a step towards us.

"That's all I wanted to hear." He said quietly, "I love you, Gabi." He said with tears in his eyes and quickly turned back and ran towards the edge.

"RYAN!" Sharpay screamed but it was too late. He had jumped. My world stopped and I fell numbly to the ground. I could hear Sharpay's screams but I couldn't figure out what they meant. I looked up and saw Troy holding a sobbing Sharpay back from the edge. I heard Troy trying to calm her but I could see the pain and tears in Troy's face. I tried to move but I couldn't. My whole body wasn't responding. I tried to cry, but all that would come out were a few quick breaths. Suddenly I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was gasping for breath and suddenly my whole world went black.

**A/N: Okay so… Angry? Sad? Shocked? Confused? Was it good or bad? I dunno… Read the epilogue!!!**


	12. Epilogue

It had been one week since the night at the cliff. When we had arrived home we called the police and the Twins' parents. The rest of the night Sharpay didn't say a single word. I too had lost the will to speak but I was able to let out a few short answers to the police. My mother had been contacted and so had Troy's parents. We all sat sadly in my living room as the police interrogated us. When Sharpay's parents arrived it took all my strength not to break down and start crying again when I saw Sharpay rush into her parent's arms crying. I watched as Sharpay and her mother fell to the floor crying as her father leaned down to hug them both. I had never seen people so torn. Troy tried to console me but even his words seemed false to me. He told me everything would be alright but even he was uncertain of his words.

That was a week ago. A whole week had gone by and Ryan Evans' body had not been found. Police had told us that his body had probably been dragged off by the current. Somewhere in all of us, there was a small spark of hope that Ryan had survived and that he was okay… But it was doused when we were told there was no way Ryan could have survived the jump. Yesterday was the day the police ended the search. Yesterday Ryan Evans was pronounced dead. When I was told I tried my very best not to break down. I knew that they would end the search eventually. We couldn't keep living with hope that Ryan was alive when all the evidence said he wasn't.

Today was my first day back at school since the cliff. Sharpay decided that she still needed time before she could go back but Troy promised to be there. He had picked me up and we drove to school in silence but he didn't once let go of my hand. When we arrived we sat in his car quietly for what seemed an eternity.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked me. No, I wasn't. I nodded anyways. We both stepped out of the car and he held my hand tightly as we walked through the front doors.

Everything seemed to have stopped when we set foot inside the school. Students stopped what they were doing and looked at us. I tried to walk bravely through the halls but I could hear whispers behind my back

"I heard she cheated on Troy with Ryan Evans" 

"_Maybe that's why he killed himself"_

"_It's her fault Ryan's dead."_

"_I thought he was gay"_

"_They were there when he died. They saw it happen"_

"_Do you think maybe they pushed him?"_

"_Why would she cheat on Troy Bolton with Ryan?"_

"_Don't be mean. He's dead"_

"Don't listen to them, Gabi." Troy whispered in my ear and held me closer. We got to our lockers and I got my books out.

"Gabriella," I heard a female voice say. I turned around and saw Taylor.

"Taylor." I said quietly and she hugged me tightly.

"I'm sorry, girl" She said. I laughed silently, a few tears spilling from my eyes.

"I'm sorry too." I said. We let go and she grasped my hand. The three of us walked to class and sat down. I could feels everyone's eyes focused on me. Even the teacher would continually glance my way. After a little while I couldn't take it anymore.

"Excuse me but I think I need some fresh air." I said walking past the teacher, not waiting for a response. I ran outside and sat on a bench. Suddenly I saw a flash of blonde hair in the parking lot. I looked up quickly and saw someone-a male someone- with blonde hair swerving between the cars. I stood up to get a better look.

"Gabriella?" a voice said, startling me. I jumped and turned around to see Troy. "Are you okay?"

" I thought I saw him…" I started. Troy gave me a confused look. I turned to face the parking lot but saw no one.

"Saw who?" Troy asked. I quickly glanced at the parking lot again and turned to face Troy again.

"Nevermind." I said quietly.

"Okay…" Troy said uncertainly. "Are you ready to go back inside?" I glanced at the parking lot again.

"Yeah. Yeah I am." I said. We walked to the front doors again and he asked me.

"Who did you think you saw?" He asked.

"Nobody," I said shrugging it off.

"Okay." He said. I took one final glance at the parking lot.

"It was just my imagination" I murmured quietly to myself and walked back inside.


End file.
